Don't be a Lightweight

The Pros and Cons of Ultralight Firearms

Let's face it, no one likes to carry a heavy gun. More than most, I have a passion for lightweight guns that borders on obsessive, and it’s not just me. The world has been enamored with lightweight firearms since the invention of the gun. I’m sure people were doing anything they could to lighten up their muzzleloaders, but let's start with cartridge guns. It didn’t take long for people to realize that shortening their rifles to a carbine length significantly improved handiness and maneuverability. Rifles weren't the only things being lightened up, either. From the dawn of the single action army, people have been doing everything possible to make it lighter and faster. The standard Colt single action army was made with a 7 ½ inch barrel, and it didn’t take long for Colt to cut it down to a little over four inches, which now stands as the most popular length. That wasn’t the end, though; Colt even introduced the shopkeeper models with barrels as short as three inches. Many in the ol’ West days didn’t want to pack around a full-size revolver. Shop owners, bartenders, and bankers (all namesakes for short-barreled revolvers) were just the kind of entrepreneurs who wanted to protect their businesses without packing around a Colt in a full-on holster rig. These guns were shortened down to nothing, even to the point of making the ejector rod obsolete. With birdshead grips and scalloped recoil shields, a gunsmith could make a Colt SAA pretty dainty. Most single action revolver nuts have heard about the famous Elmer Keith’s #5 revolver. Elmer’s inspiration for his renowned sidearm came from a man named Harold Croft, who took cutting down single action army revolvers to its extremes, even to the point of thinning the frame of the gun and skeletonizing the trigger guards.

Smith and Wesson invented the “Airweight” revolver so that military pilots could have a backup gun in their flight suits, and it has continued to be a popular model ever since. I carry a slightly modified Airweight J frame almost daily and have been doing so for years. Now, Smith & Wesson even offers what they refer to as Scandium frame guns in their “Airlite” series of firearms. These revolvers often feature titanium cylinders and can weigh as little as 10oz empty, which is pretty impressive considering just the lead in five rounds of .38 Special weighs almost 2oz by itself.

Of course, we couldn’t discuss lightweight guns without mentioning the sea of polymer-framed semi-automatic pistols. It’s no wonder they took over in popularity, especially among police officers. When you have to walk around with every tool you’ll ever need strapped to your belt, cutting half a pound out of your sidearm is undoubtedly a godsend to the hips and back.

The lightweight craze has also infected the rifle world. Indeed, any soldier would rather carry a lightweight M-16 when compared to the venerable M1 Garand, combat effectiveness notwithstanding. Hunting rifles have also been on a continuous diet since the dawn of sport hunting. Most hunting guns during the first part of the 20th century were just military surplus bolt-action rifles that had been “sporterized,” which really meant lightened up. For generations, the lightweight choice was the Winchester Model 70 “Featherweight.” I think the featherweight is one of the most beautiful and well-designed hunting rifles ever. Still, by today's standards, at almost seven pounds, its weight is actually on the heavy end of what one would consider a lightweight rifle.

I’ve got a problem.

Hot tip for anyone trying to sell me a gun: tell me how light it is, and chances are I will get really interested. As I mentioned before, I love a lightweight gun; the lighter it is, the better. I will share some of my favorite lightweight firearms with you, but I will also discuss the downfalls of lightweight guns. It’s not all sunshine and roses when it comes to ultralights.

Handguns.

We’ll start with my favorite category of firearms, handguns. There are no sacred cows in my gunsafe; you show up with the correct number of Benjamin Franklins, and you can have just about anything. I have mentioned it before, but one of the few guns I own that will never be for sale at any price is my Smith & Wesson Model 317.

For those unfamiliar, it is an all-aluminum, adjustable sight J frame with a 3” barrel, and it carries eight rounds of .22LR. I have lightened it up even more than factory specs by removing the three-finger rubber grips and replacing them with ones I made from mule deer antler. Mine weighs a scant 12 ¼ oz loaded! This gun has been on countless adventures with me and is priceless for the stories alone. The only weapon that could ever replace this little gem would be if Smith released a version with a five-shot 32 H&R Mag chambering, or better yet, 327 Federal. I would camp out on Smith’s doorstep like a hipster waiting for the new iPhone release. Smith, make the Model 331 happen!

This great little gun is not without its downfalls, though. Its lightweight and short barrel make it challenging to shoot at any great distance. Regarding accuracy, I could shoot rings around it with my full-size steel 8” barrel model 17. Still, for the utility work it is intended for, the 317 is a fantastic adventure companion.

Next is a gun I have mentioned many times before, and you will notice a striking similarity between it and the previous gun. The Smith & Wesson model 386SC Mountain Lite.

This gun is essentially identical to the previous, just…more. It is a scandium, 3” barreled L frame that contains seven rounds of 357 Mag with adjustable sights. I got this beauty for a song because it was water-damaged. It often takes the place of my Model 317 when I feel I need more oomph with my cartridge. Loaded with 125g .38 Specials, it weighs only 1 lb 9 oz. It is almost twice the weight of the 317, but still, it easily disappears on the belt when using a good pancake holster. You will notice the Pachmyer grips. I’m not using them because I like the look; I’m using them because I need them. Even a mild .38 Special is pretty painful to shoot in this gun. When weight is taken off a handgun, the recoil increases dramatically. That's one thing to remember when seeking a lightweight handgun.

Rifles.

At this point in my life, I can't be bothered to carry a heavy rifle anymore. Especially since lately I have taken up the hobby of hunting with handguns. It is hard to convince myself to go on a big, long hike with a full-size rifle when I know I have a two-pound handgun that can do the same job. The one rifle I will happily take on any hunting trip, though, I affectionately call the dream rifle.

I have an article specifically on the dream rifle, so I will not go into too much detail, but long story short, I decided one day to build the exact deer rifle I wanted, spare no expense. The dream rifle is a masterpiece of modern materials; titanium action, carbon fiber barrel, Kevlar stock, and with aluminum everything else, it culminates into a rifle that is 5 Ibs 8 oz ready to hunt with a 3-9 scope and all. Full disclosure time, the dream rifle is a bit like a mule. It's great at doing its job, but can be temperamental. With its 16” barrel, it is loud, and the recoil is abusive even in its mild .308 Win chambering, plus it’s hard to shoot. Given all those foibles, I still wouldn’t trade it for anything on the planet, but it would be completely unfair not to mention that ultralight rifles have some significant drawbacks.

While the previous rifle would make me shudder to think what it would cost to build in today's dollars, this next rifle is attainable by any firearms enthusiast.

The Ruger American rifle gets overlooked, possibly scoffed at by many because of its low price point, but don’t be fooled, it is a great gun.

Sure, it has its problems. The stock isn't exactly attractive, and it was made worse with the latest changes, but looks are subjective. I also never liked how flimsy the stock was, but truth be told, I have never seen it affect accuracy. The Ruger American comes in about every flavor of rifle you could want, but mine is the Ranch model with a 16” barrel and chambered in 300 Blackout. Of course, being a perpetual tinkerer, I made some modifications to it. First, it was a little long for me, so I shortened the butt pad. I reprofiled it to something less prone to catching on clothes. It didn't come out pretty; the soft rubber it is made of did not shape well, but it did accomplish what I needed, even though I can now see the styrofoam used to fill up the hollow stock. The Ruger American Ranch is already a light gun, but I kept it light by installing iron sights. Gasp! What? It's 2025, and every rifle has an illuminated 10-42 power 62mm scope. Yeah, well, that's not me. The 300 Blackout is a great little cartridge that, ballistically speaking, knocks on the door of the venerable 30-30. Also, if you are a handloader, shooting is absolutely dirt cheap. The recoil is non-existent, and if shot subsonic, it is even quiet. Throw a suppressor on it, and it is absolutely movie silent. While the cartridge has many merits, long range isn’t one of them, so I decided to forgo the scope. I drilled and tapped the barrel for an XS front sight and mounted an XS ghost ring peep sight to the rear. Without a scope, the Ruger makes for the handiest brush gun you could ever want, capable of everything from varmints to close-range deer. Altogether, the rifle weighs right at 6 Ibs. The only thing I would change is that my stock has the old rotary magazine. I think I would rather have the one that accepts AR-15 mags, but even then, I go back and forth on that. The rotary magazine seems to work fine and holds plenty of ammo for my purposes. It would just be nice to have the convenience of AR mags. This rifle has plenty of limitations, but for what it lacks in range and energy, it makes up for in handiness and indestructibility. I have no doubt I could drag this rifle behind the truck all day and still kill a deer with it in the evening. I would guess that if he were alive today, Jeff Cooper would probably consider the Ruger American Ranch a strong contender for his scout rifle platform.

Shotguns.

If you have been reading my articles for any amount of time, you know that I love to go chukar hunting, which is a mountain sport. It's common for me to do 4-5 miles and a couple thousand feet of elevation changes before lunch, and my spots are more tame than most of the places people hunt. Having a lightweight shotgun isn’t just nice; it's a necessity. However, the disadvantage of a lightweight shotgun is much greater than any other firearm style. A good swing is so critical to good shotgunning that having a gun with no weight kills any momentum you might have had. I really have to concentrate on slowing myself down; otherwise, I snap through the bird, then stop and go back and have to swing through again, and that’s not conducive to filling the freezer with Chukar meat. With practice, though, these problems can be overcome and game can be had. Here are a couple of lightweight shotguns perfect for most upland game.

The Ithaca Model 37 English Ultralight Deluxe chambered in 20 gauge is one of my favorites.

If the Winchester Model 12 is the king of pump shotguns, then surely the Ithaca 37 is the queen. There are so many great features about the Ithaca 37, and I have mentioned them all before in my articles on Chukar guns. What we are concerned with today is weight. The Ithaca English Ultralight Deluxe is the lightest model Ithaca has ever produced. At an advertised weight of 5 pounds, it has to be one of the lightest multishot 20 gauges ever made. Mine doesn't quite make the advertised weight, coming in at 5 Ibs 5 oz, but it's still an exceptionally lightweight shotgun.

My next gun is new to my arsenal, and it is going to be a big player for me during Chukar season this year. It is now dwindling, but for many years, Benelli made an ultralight line of shotguns loosely based on the M2 and Montafeltro designs, depending on which chambering you chose. I just picked up a used ultralight model in 28 gauge.

I have been a huge fan of the 28 gauge chambering for years. Something about it just punches above its weight when killing birds. I have heard stories over the years about the 28 and having what the British call a “square load” or the perfect ratio of length vs shot column. I don’t know if there is anything to that, but I can say that even with ¾oz of shot, I never feel undergunned with the 28, and I seem to drop just as many birds as I do with my 12s, shooting almost twice as much lead. The Benelli Ultralight 28 is now discontinued, but it was advertised as a 5 Ib shotgun at the time of its production. Once again, mine comes in a little heavy at 5 Ibs 2 oz, so my scale may be inaccurate or firearm advertising is just a bit on the wishy washy side. I have been shooting it at clays, and the light weight did take me some time to get used to. Once again, stopping my swing is a real problem and something I need to concentrate on, but once I got into the groove, I started breaking birds regularly. I have always questioned whether Benellis are truly worth the price, but there is no doubt that it is a beautiful gun and a pleasure to carry. I can't wait to hit the hills with it this fall.

To light, or not too light.

Light guns are great; great if you like to miss your target, great if you want to be beaten up by recoil, and great if you have a lot of expendable money you need to get rid of. All kidding aside, lightweight guns are actually great, but they do come with their challenges. As long as we, the shooters, understand what we are getting into, we can be prepared to compensate for the inevitable challenges. For me, a lightweight firearm lets me enjoy my time out in nature more, and that is really what it's all about.